Ted Baillieu | |
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 Baillieu in 2024 | |
| 46thPremier of Victoria | |
| In office 2 December 2010 – 6 March 2013 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor | David de Kretser Alex Chernov |
| Deputy | Peter Ryan |
| Preceded by | John Brumby |
| Succeeded by | Denis Napthine |
| Leader of the Opposition in Victoria Elections:2006 | |
| In office 8 May 2006 – 2 December 2010 | |
| Premier | Steve Bracks John Brumby |
| Deputy | Louise Asher |
| Preceded by | Robert Doyle |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Andrews |
| Leader of theLiberal Party in Victoria | |
| In office 8 May 2006 – 6 March 2013 | |
| Deputy | Louise Asher |
| Preceded by | Robert Doyle |
| Succeeded by | Denis Napthine |
| Member of theVictorian Parliament forHawthorn | |
| In office 18 September 1999 – 29 November 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Phil Gude |
| Succeeded by | John Pesutto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Norman Baillieu (1953-07-31)31 July 1953 (age 71) Melbourne,Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal (since 1981) |
| Spouse | Robyn Jubb |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Profession | Architect |
| Signature |  |
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Premier of Victoria Elections  | ||
Edward Norman BaillieuAO (born 31 July 1953) is a formerAustralian politician who wasPremier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was aLiberal Party member of theVictorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate ofHawthorn. He was elected leader of the Liberal Party in opposition in 2006, and served as Premier from 2010 until 2013 after winning the2010 state election. He resigned as Premier on 6 March 2013, and was succeeded byDenis Napthine.
Ted Baillieu is the youngest son of Darren and Diana Baillieu. He is also the younger brother of solicitor Ian Baillieu, formerABC presenter Fiona Baillieu, author David Baillieu, former journalist and Portsea activistKate Baillieu (the widow of state Liberal politicianJulian Doyle) and Olympic oarsman andAmerica's Cup yachtsmanWill Baillieu.[1] HisWalloon great-great-great-grandfather, Étienne Lambert Baillieux (1773–1816), migrated toEngland fromLiège,Belgium.[citation needed] The 3rdBaron Baillieu, James William Latham Baillieu (b. 1950) is his third cousin.[citation needed] He is also the great-grandson of Victorian politicianWilliam Knox.[citation needed] He was raised in theMelbourne suburb ofToorak and educated atMelbourne Grammar School and theUniversity of Melbourne, where he graduated in 1976 with aBachelor of Architecture degree. Baillieu is related to the Myer family.[2]
He worked as an architect and for a time joined the familyreal estate firm Baillieu Knight Frank.[3] The Labor Party ran an election advertisement campaign in 2006 and 2010 claiming he profited from Liberal government policies. Baillieu was also employed byTourism Victoria from 1998 to 1999, before entering politics.[4]
He joined theCarlton branch of the Liberal Party in 1981 because of his frustration at the power ofunions on building sites. By 1987 he was vice-president of the Victorian Liberal Party and President in 1994. AtJeff Kennett's insistence, Baillieu nominated for Liberal Partypreselection for the safe seat ofHawthorn at the1999 election, to replace the retiring member, former Liberal deputy leaderPhil Gude. Baillieu was preselected, and won the seat at the election. It was at this election thatSteve Bracks unexpectedly led theLabor Party to victory, with the support of three country independents, one a former Labor supporter and the other two conservatives.
Baillieu immediately joined the Liberalfrontbench, serving as Shadow Minister for Tertiary Education and Training (1999–2001), Gaming (July 2000 – August 2002) and Planning (September 2001 – May 2006).
AfterRobert Doyle resigned asopposition leader on 4 May 2006, speculation mounted that formerVictorian PremierJeff Kennett would return to politics and the position of Liberal Party Leader in order to lead the party into the2006 state election set down for 25 November 2006. However, on the morning of 5 May 2006, Baillieu not only announced he was running for the leadership, but revealed that Kennett would not return to the leadership and was supporting Baillieu.[5] Shadow Minister for TransportTerry Mulder had earlier announced he was running, but withdrew from the race. This left Baillieu to take the leadership unopposed at a Liberal party room vote on 8 May.
Six months after assuming leadership of the Liberals, Baillieu took the party into the 2006 election. The governing Labor Party, keen to exploit Baillieu's wealth, dubbed himTed the Toff from Toorak.[6]
Throughout the campaign, media stories about Baillieu's extensive blue chip share portfolio, at the time estimated to be worth almost $4 million, raised questions about conflicts of interest.[7] Baillieu's handling of the issue and his refusal to place his investments in a blind trust were both thought to have hurt the Liberal Party during the campaign.[8] At the 25 November 2006 election, the Liberals came up well short of winning government, though they managed to take six seats off Labor's large majority.
In a speech at the State Council of the Victorian Liberal Party, Ballieu opposed the push byJohn Howard for nuclear reactors in Victoria.[9][citation needed]
An online campaign against Baillieu by senior Liberal Party members was uncovered and made public, with Baillieu promising to root out the disloyal elements in his party. The media suspected that forces loyal to former Federal TreasurerPeter Costello and former State Party PresidentMichael Kroger, themselves from Melbourne, had attempted to undermine Baillieu.[10]
In February 2008, at a joint news conference it was announced that the Victorian Nationals and Liberals would join in a newCoalition agreement forged between Baillieu andPeter Ryan. As part of the arrangement, the parties agreed to hold joint party meetings, develop joint policies, allocate five shadow cabinet positions to the Nationals, abolish three-cornered contests (unless otherwise agreed) and run joint Legislative Council tickets in the non-metropolitan Regions.[citation needed] The Liberals and Nationals have historically had strained relations in Victoria. They had fought the 1992 and 1996 state elections as a Coalition after having sat separately for most of the second half of the 20th century, but went their separate ways after the 1999 election.[11]
During his leadership of the Liberals, Baillieu was considered to be a moderate Liberal; as opposition leader he backed voluntary assisted dying, equal rights for the LGBTQI community, gambling reforms, a plan to give condoms to prisoners, and the decriminalisation of abortion;[12] in 2008, Baillieu voted for abortion law reform which decriminalised abortion up to twenty four weeks and the moment of birth if two doctors grant approval.[13][14]
Baillieu, asLeader of the Opposition, contested the2010 Victorian state election as the alternativePremier of Victoria with the Leader of the Nationals,Peter Ryan, as the alternativeDeputy Premier. Baillieu focused during the election campaign mainly on the policies of health, law and order, government expenditure and the longevity and the ability of the incumbent Labor government to deliver on its promises. Until election eve, polling indicated Labor would win a record fourth term in government, albeit by a tight margin. The final Newspoll saw atwo party preferred figure of 48.9 percent for Labor and 51.1 percent to the Liberals and Nationals.
Ultimately, the Coalition picked up a swing of 5.96 percent, larger than what it won during its landslide victory in1992. Two days after the election, on 29 November, the Premier of Victoria,John Brumby, conceded defeat after it became clear that his government had lost its majority to the opposition. The Coalition only just managed the 13-seat swing it needed to make Baillieu premier. It won 45 seats to Labor's 43, with a parliamentary majority of just one seat after the appointment ofKen Smith asSpeaker.[15] On 2 December, Baillieu was sworn in as the 46th Premier of Victoria, along with 22 of theBaillieu/Ryan government ministers.
After two years in office, Baillieu was criticised by business and community leaders for acting too slowly and failing to present a credible policy agenda. His government was criticised for its "backward" environmental record for dismantling protection of native species, cutting support for renewable energy and introducing cattle grazing in theAlpine National Park, as well as for cutting funding forTAFE vocational education.[16]
In September 2012, Baillieu led what was until then Australia's largest-ever international trade delegation to China. Because of the unprecedented scale of the delegation it was dubbed the "Super Trade Mission" and was attended by more than 400 Victorian business and 3 of Baillieu's key Ministers as his government launched a $50 million funding initiative to boost Victoria's international engagement efforts. The week long schedule covered 26 cities in China.[citation needed]
On 4 March 2013, theHerald Sun released secret recordings which revealed Baillieu's chief of staff, Tony Nutt, had offered to help former Ryan police adviser Tristan Weston find a new job. Weston had been fired after an OPI report found he had underminedVictoria Police chiefSimon Overland. The tapes also revealed Nutt had claimed the Baillieu government had hamstrung the operations of a new anti-corruption commission. More tapes were released the next day, in which deputy police chief Sir Ken Jones expressed concerns about Overland and promised to discuss them with Ryan. On 7 March, Liberal MLAGeoff Shaw resigned from the parliamentary Liberal Party and refused to commit to supporting the Government if Baillieu remained Premier. That afternoon, Ryan insisted that Baillieu would not resign. However, after a crisis meeting of Liberal MLAs later that night, Baillieu resigned as Leader of the Liberal Party and hence as Premier of Victoria.[17] He remained in the legislature as a backbencher until his retirement at the 2014 election.
In 2014, Baillieu madeoff-the-record comments "critical of parliamentary colleagues" including Murray Thompson and Michael Gidley[18][19] toSunday Age state political editor Farrah Tomazin. Tomazin recorded the comments without Baillieu's knowledge or consent. Tomazin subsequently lost her recorder at an ALP state conference.[20] The recorder was found by security staff and handed over to Labor Party officials. The Baillieu recording was distributed from a fake email address on 24 June 2014.[21] Party leaderDaniel Andrews initially denied any Labor involvement. However, The Age's investigation of the incident led to ALP sources admitting senior figures in Andrews' team had listened to and made copies of the recording, before it was later emailed to hundreds of Liberal members and MPs.[22] The matter was subject to a police investigation, but the Department of Public Prosecutions determined that no charges be laid.[23]
On 22 August 2014, Baillieu announced that he would not re-contest his seat of Hawthorn and that he would be retiring from politics at the2014 Victorian state election.[24]
Since April 2013, Baillieu has served as Chair of the Victorian Government's ANZAC Centenary Committee, overseeing Victoria's commemorations and facilitating connections between Victorians and the legacy of the Original ANZACs through family, institutions, geography, occupation, and place of residence.[25] Baillieu is the recipient of the 2013 Ashoka Medal from the Australia India Business Council Victoria in recognition of his contribution to Australia-India relations;[26] and the Asian Leadership Network of Australia's 2014 Special Public Service Award. He also acted as an Honorary Ambassador for the Victorian Government's80 Days of Melbourne initiative during which Victoria hosted an unprecedented number of internationally recognised sporting, arts, cultural and trade events between 9 January and 29 March 2015.[27] In 2016 Baillieu became Melbourne University's Honorary Enterprise Professor associated with the Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning.[28] In 2017 Baillieu joined the Committee of the Melbourne Cricket Club,[29] The Australian Institute of Architects Foundation Board,[30] and was appointed adjunct professor at Swinburne University. In 2017 he was appointed co-chair of the Victorian Government's Cladding Task Force.[31] In July 2020, Baillieu was appointed a member of the Australia India Council by the Foreign Minister.[32]
In June 2021, Baillieu was appointed by the Australian Government as Chair of the Australian Heritage Council.[33] Baillieu is Patron of a number of groups including Multicultural Arts Victoria,[34] Public Record Office of Victoria, The Sovereign Hill Museums Association,[35] Queenscliffe Historical Museum,[36] Cancer Council Victoria: Relay for Life, Hawthorn[37] and the Australia India Chamber of Commerce.[38] Ballieu is also Chieftain of the Victorian Highland Pipe Band Association.[39]Baillieu's donated to Pesutto's defence after Moira Deeming sued Pesutto. Kennett along with two former Liberals Premiers gave donations to John Pesutto's defence after Deeming issue a legal notice to him.[40]
Ted Baillieu is married to Robyn and they have three children. One of his children, Rob Baillieu, was elected to theBoroondara City Council in 2024 as councillor for Riversdale Ward; he had previously run for election to the Boroondara City Council in 2020 and served as volunteer campaign manager forMonique Ryan in the2022 Australian federal election.[41][42][43][44]
Baillieu is a supporter of theGeelong Football Club,[45] where he is a joint convener of We Are Geelong Supporters. Baillieu is a regular Sunday morning swimmer with theBrighton Icebergs.[46] He regularly enters thePier to Pub swim organised by theLorne Surf Life Saving Club, and in 1989 he co-founded and has swum in all the Portsea Surf Life Saving Club's Pier to Perignon events, over the 4.5 km course from Sorrento Pier to Portsea Pier.[47]
In December 2010, Baillieu underwent surgery at theEpworth Hospital to remove a kidney stone.[48]
He is a Fellow of theAustralian Institute of Architects, and a member of theGeelong Football Club, theMelbourne Cricket Club, theMelbourne Rugby Union Football Club, theMelbourne Savage Club, theMelbourne Victory FC, theRotary Club of Glenferrie, theRoyal Melbourne Golf Club, theSorrento Golf Club, theHawthorn Rowing Club andEpilepsy Foundation of Victoria (as a member of the Patrons Council).[49]
Since September 2020, he is also a board member of the Australia India Council.[50]
Baillieu is ateetotaler.[51]
| Victorian Legislative Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member forHawthorn 1999–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of theLiberal Party in Victoria 2006–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition of Victoria 2006–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Premier of Victoria 2010–2013 | Succeeded by |
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